Election seems at first like the story of the advantages of a two-party democracy: football player Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) stops student-government go-getter Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) from running unopposed, a high-school despot. But when it comes time for the candidates to support their views—not technically a debate so much as opposing stump speeches…which is how many real political debates play out anyway—the story changes. Election becomes about the glory of the third-party candidate, Tammy (Jessica Campbell). Her teenage sneer is a perfect complement to an eloquent defense of school-wide anarchy, and an honest campaign promise that, if elected, she will do absolutely nothing.

Fighting Words: “Vote for me, because I don’t even want to go to college.”